Crying Danger
by EpsiLone
Summary: *COMPLETE* Elizabeth has enough of constantly being pushed away by Jason because of the danger… Will she be able to convince him that they can make a life together this time, while danger looms above their heads? A Liason short story.
1. Here to Stay

**~ Crying Danger ~**

_A/N: I started writing this story just for fun, as a derision of the "my life is too dangerous" storyline on GH and how every time Liason gets close, Jason has to push Elizabeth away, I tried writing Elizabeth in the spirit of the feisty woman we were lucky enough to have a glimpse of last year before the story went south, and many phrases I used where actually said by Jason and Elizabeth in the show and of course I do not own any of these characters. Thanks for reading and reviewing!_

_Just to clarify, Elizabeth has no children in this short story._

**Part I**

**Here to Stay**

"_Elizabeth I love you but we cannot be together."_

Being in love with Jason Morgan was the most frustrating thing Elizabeth had ever had to deal with in her life.

"_You can't be near me, for your own good. We need to stay away from each other."_

Jason and Elizabeth were having the most extensive on and off relationship of all times. She had heard these phrases over and over again. Actually, each time danger knocked on their door, Jason would persistently make it an excuse to break things off with her. Yes, every time they would get close because circumstances brought them back in the same orbit, another event would push the pair to part ways.

"_Everyone around me is in danger. Just standing next to me could cost you your life."_

And Jason never spared Elizabeth the gore details of what could happen to her if she kept insisting on seeing him. Details of what it meant to be with him, a man who chose to break the law for a living. But Elizabeth wasn't blind; she knew who Jason Morgan was and she could separate the man from the profession. It wasn't always logical but was love ever supposed to be?

"_I would never be able to give you what you want."_

She had given up the dream of a white picket fence long ago. All she wanted was to have a very private relationship with the man she loved. She would be happy with as much of him as Jason would have been able to give her. Although they had tried to keep their distance form each other many times, it had never lasted very long. Mainly because Jason was unable to resist Elizabeth, but also because both of them would constantly seek each other out whenever their lives were falling apart. It was undeniable; they were meant for each other but unfortunately not in this lifetime according to Jason.

"_We cannot make it work. My life is too dangerous; there is no room for love in my world."_

That was what Jason believed, that the kind of feelings he shared with Elizabeth could only be a weakness and that her life would be at stakes by simple association with him. Elizabeth had accepted that because of his line of work, a regular relationship was out of the question. They had even tried being secret lovers once, which was wonderful for the two very short months it had lasted. Jason and she would meet, unbeknownst to everyone in a completely secret location. Jason had set up one of his organization's safe house for them to spend time together without having to think about the risks that being together involved. Of course it wasn't always easy having to desperately wait for him to free himself from the very demanding mob, or being stood up because of another urgent matter. But for the first time Elizabeth had truly believed that they had found a way to make this relationship work for both of them, until Jason had broken things off. Again.

"_You deserve better than this Elizabeth and if we keep this up we will want more. We need to stop this before it becomes too difficult on us."_

She had pleaded and begged that time; she had tried to reason with him by telling him that she could decide for herself and that all she wanted was to be with him. She had even promised to walk away whenever things became too difficult.

"_It's not fair for you to lie to everyone about this."_

Unfortunately, nothing she had ever said had made a difference. Elizabeth had been told countless times that she was particularly stubborn but never had she met someone as immovable as Jason Morgan. But this time she had decided that things would be different. There was no going back to him until he was ready for a real long-term relationship. She would resist his calls, if he ever called; his long stares from feet away would not make her discreetly slip into his office to get some more than desired action. No, this time she would give Jason exactly what he had asked for, which was the stranger treatment and she would stay as far from him as possible. Or so she said…

"_This, us, is going nowhere. You need to stay away from me."_

And Elizabeth had been successful in doing so. It had been almost a month since their last break up and she hadn't shown up at the coffee house once or even came anywhere close to Harborview towers. She hadn't dialed his number and Jason hadn't called her either which made Elizabeth wonder if it was a good thing or not. She knew he loved her but until he was ready to accept her as a complete part of his life she wouldn't be back. Not this time.

Imagine her surprise when her cell phone buzzed on her nightstand that evening after a draining day at work. It was almost ironic that she had been thinking about him right before he had called. They were meant to be _together_, one with the other sharing a life, not apart because of Jason's obstinate idea that he didn't deserve to have a love life.

She had told herself that she wouldn't talk to him but the curiosity was weighting too heavily on her; she wanted to know what would be his excuse for reaching out to her this time after having told her in not so many words that they would really have to keep their distances this time. She picked up her phone.

"_Elizabeth?"_

"Jason, what a surprise!" Elizabeth said in complete sarcasm.

"_I… sorry to be calling you, I know I shouldn't be talking to you but I need you."_

"Oh so what, it's ok for us to be around each other now? The _danger_ is not a factor in your life anymore? I love how it's ok for us to talk and see each other only when it suits you! Well I'm not about to fall in this trap again! I've had enough of this back and forth crap!"

"_Elizabeth, we talked about this already. But I really need your help right now. You have to come meet me." _Jason's voice was stern and enigmatic.

"What's going on? I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what it's about; especially if it's to go through the same ordeal again."

"_Please, don't fight me on this. I really need you."_

Elizabeth could never resist these words especially when spoken as seriously as Jason had. The major strength of their love was that they could always count on each other, even when apart or at odds.

"Where are you?"

"_Meet me at our safe house. Make sure no one sees you."_

"Don't worry, I'll be discreet."

The young woman dashed out of bed and slipped into a pair of jeans and a sweater. She had no idea what was going on but Jason's grave tone troubled her. Did something happen to him?

*********

When she arrived at the safehouse that night, her fear was confirmed. Jason was lying on the dark couch, leg profusely bleeding. The sight of him hurt and defenseless made her heart clench.

"Damn it Jason! Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" Elizabeth asked rushing to the man's side.

"I didn't want you to panic and drive upset." He uttered visibly in pain.

"You are bleeding out and all you were worried about was me being upset!" She started examining the wound which seemed like a gun shot. She produced a heavy sigh. "What happened?"

"An ambush, but you know I can't say much."

"I know, I know… Are there any medical supplies in here?"

"Bedroom closet."

Elizabeth ran to get everything she needed to mend Jason's leg then hurried back to his side. The young woman, who had done this many times before, methodically cut out his pair of jean around the wound with a pair of scissors in order to get a better view.

"It doesn't seem like the bullet is still inside." She said relieved that she wouldn't have to perform life saving surgery on him with the poor instruments she had on hand.

"Yeah, I think it was just a graze." Jason said wincing at the pain as Elizabeth poked around the wound with her gloved fingers.

"Well for a graze it's bleeding a lot."

The young nurse managed to stop the flow of blood by applying pressure on Jason's injured leg then meticulously cleaned up and sutured his wound, which she bandaged tightly.

Elizabeth took of the protective latex gloves. "There you go. But you need to take it easy or you might open it up and start bleeding again."

"Yes doctor!" Jason sarcastically replied.

"Nurse Webber would work just fine. See that; you have your own personal nurse who even does house calls." Elizabeth teased him with a sassy grin gracing her mouth.

"And I am forever grateful for that." Jason said sliding a hand inside her chestnut curls.

Elizabeth leaned forward and kissed the man she loved lightly on the lips. "You're lucky you didn't get hurt worse than that or I would have had to kill you myself!"

Jason smiled then tried reaching for a second kiss but was limited by the sharp pain in his leg.

"I told you to take it easy." She told him covering his mouth with her index finger and leaving him wanting more.

The brunette stood to her feet and started cleaning up the medical supplies she had used to patch Jason up. After putting everything back in place, she came back to his side. "You're gonna need to eat something so I'll fix you up a canned soup or anything we have left in here."

Jason abruptly grabbed the petite woman's arm before she was able to leave his side. "No Elizabeth. Thank you for once again taking care of a gun shot for me but you can't stay. I'll manage on my own."

She huskily brushed his hand off of her arm then retorted. "I cannot believe this! This has to be the shortest time we spent back together. I haven't even been here for what… half an hour that you are already kicking me out of your life?"

"You know why you can't stay. It's too dangerous."

"It's too dangerous? If I hear these words again! How many times do I need to tell you that I don't care about the freaking danger! Every time I get up in the morning I am in danger! Do I need to remind you how I almost burned down my apartment a few months ago because my Christmas tree caught fire? Every time I go to work I am in danger! Do you remember how this desperate man took my whole floor hostage with bombs strapped on him so we would treat his wife? And I could go on and on."

"It's not the same thing."

"Yes it is the same thing! Life in general is dangerous Jason! But I refuse to live in fear! What I want is to simply feel alive again; be with you, and by that I mean really be with you in real relationship that will last more than a few minutes!" Elizabeth paused, drawing some air in, powerful glare fixated on Jason. "How come Carly, Spinelli and everyone else gets to be around you but not me? Do you have any idea how this makes me feel? That every time we get close you simply shut me out!"

Jason truly felt the pain in her words. He never meant to hurt her. All he wanted was to keep her safe. He spoke deeply, trying to make the young woman in front of him understand his point. "It's because I love you too much, I couldn't bear loosing you. Damn it Elizabeth, someone tried to kill me tonight! This is not a game, I've told you that already."

"Oh yes you have. But there is no way I am letting you push me away this time. You cannot just bring me back in your life whenever you need me then send me packing!"

"I called you because I knew I could count on you and I came here because I need to keep a low profile until the situation calms down." Jason spoke softly, never raising his voice from his position on the couch.

"Then I'll keep a low profile with you until you get better. And besides you don't really have a choice because you barely can walk and you certainly can't kick me out of here. So just promise me that you won't try to push me away again. Not this time, because I am not going anywhere."

"You can't do that; you have a job, Elizabeth, a normal life and I don't want it to be affected because of me."

"You remember when we first met Jason? How angry I was that everybody was making decisions for me and trying to run my life. That's exactly what you are doing right now. What happened to people should be able to make their own choices?"

Jason was about to contest but she didn't give him the chance and kept talking.

"See, every time we come close to being happy together you push me away and I am left with all my feelings for you, all my dreams of a life with you and simply nowhere to put them." She said her voice deep with sorrow as she dug deep in her soul to let Jason realize just how much pain he caused her every time he decided to walk away.

"Elizabeth…"

"No Jason, listen to me! I am an adult and I am conscious of the risks that come with being in your life; I have no illusions here! It is eyes wide open that I want to be with you."

Jason was surprised by how much Elizabeth resisted him this time. All he ever wanted was to keep her safe and it was the only thing that gave him the necessary willpower to break things off with her every time it had happened. He was sick of disappointing her, sick of hurting her; but he knew he couldn't make her happy with what he had to offer her.

Many would have told you that Jason Morgan was a fearless man, but essentially it was the fear that kept him from allowing Elizabeth to fully enter his life. Jason had always wanted to shield her from the violence and cruelty of his world. Selfishly perhaps, he believed that if she got too close to him she would end up hating him after seeing him for the monster he truly was. And Jason couldn't take the risk of loosing her forever; at least as long as she was away she would maintain this adoring image she had of him.

"What if one of my enemies uses you for leverage against me? What if one day you stand too close to me and…"

"I'm not afraid!" Elizabeth burst out.

"But I am afraid! If anything happened to you I couldn't take it!" Jason paused then sadly admitted. "I cannot keep you safe Elizabeth."

The young woman gazed at Jason with burning intensity. "The only thing I need from you is to love me and allow me to be in your life. That's all I want." Tears started forming in her cerulean doe eyes. "That's all I want." She repeated in a broken voice.

Jason struggled to straighten on the couch but managed to sit up. He placed all of his strength in his healthy foot then propped himself up. He closed Elizabeth in his embrace and buried his face in the curve of her neck savoring her alluring scent.

"I love you so much. All I want if for you to be happy."

"Then let me be a part of your life!"

The only reply Jason had for her was a warm kiss that he delicately planted on her soft lips, cradling her face with both of his hands. Jason adored the sensation of her swollen lips on his own while he devoured her mouth. She shut her eyelids and the tears that had formed in her eyes trickled down her cheeks meddling in their emotion filled lip lock.

A faint noise coming from outside caused Elizabeth to suddenly pull back from the ardent kiss; she once again left the taller man wanting more. "Did you hear that?" She asked Jason in a concerned tone.

"No, wait." Jason difficultly made his way towards the window. "Someone might have been sent to finish the job. Listen to me, what I want you to do is go to the bedroom and hide in the closet. Don't come out until I tell you its safe."

"Jason, you can't fight anyone in your state! I can't leave you like this."

"Just do as I tell you."

Elizabeth was wise enough to know that listening to what Jason said was the smart thing to do. He had experience in these types of situations and if he believed he could deal with the attack then she trusted him. She sent a last worried look towards him then did as she was told. The young man grabbed his gun from the side table then positioned himself, back against the wall next to the door, waiting for the intruder to make his move. He would take him by surprise as soon as the man would enter the front door.

Cracking footsteps could be heard louder every second; the confrontation was imminent. Jason gripped his gun firmly, ready to make use of it. The enforcer observed the door knob swivel. A man covered in black put foot in the safe house and with a simple kick on the nape of the neck, was neutralized. The assailant dropped to the ground unconscious, loosing his firearm in the process.

But Jason didn't have a second to breathe that he felt the cold metal of a handgun grace the back of his skull.

"Drop your gun! You're done Morgan!"

The enforcer slowly turned around to face his executioner. What happened next occurred incredibly fast, even for the blond who was blessed with extremely fine reflexes. A gun shot echoed loudly in the room followed by a loud thud. When Jason finally looked up, he saw Elizabeth standing in the dark of the bedroom door with a gun held in his direction. She had just saved his life.

Jason took the firearm away from the second gunman who was now lying on the floor with a hole through his back then limped to Elizabeth who hadn't switched position since she had pulled the trigger. She seemed frozen, both arms erect, still pointing towards where the intruder had been standing. Jason took the firearm out of her hands then trailed his hands over her figure making sure she was ok.

"Easy, easy… Are you ok?"

She nodded. "Is he… is he dead? He… he was about to shoot you… he…" Elizabeth struggled to talk as Jason took her in his arms. "It's ok. Everything's fine."

"Did I… did I kill him?" Elizabeth asked agitatedly.

"Shhh… I'll check right now ok?" Elizabeth nodded, fiercely biting her lower lip while Jason difficultly ran back to the man to check for a pulse.

"I can feel a pulse."

"I can still save him!" The young woman said before kneeling next to the assailant. She applied pressure to the gunshot wound.

"Elizabeth, you did great; you saved my life. But you have to leave now!"

"No!" Elizabeth threw back at him heatedly. "Jason, I just shot a man! We're in this together; just tell me what to do and I'll do it." She resolutely threw at him; there was no running away this time.

Jason paused for an instant. "Are you sure you're _ok_?" Jason asked concerned by the way she was acting.

"What? Yes, I'm ok… I'm as ok as I can be right now. I'm a nurse; I am used to working under pressure. I saw this gun earlier when I got the supplies; I heard a struggle I though you might need help so I came out."

Elizabeth hadn't even flinched before pulling the trigger. Her lover's life was in danger and she needed to come to his rescue. Jason turning around was the perfect distraction and as she saw the gunman raise his gun once again, she acted fast and shot him. She remembered the private lessons Jason had given her and had applied them to the letter, eliminating the threat in one single move.

Jason was more than astounded by the turn of events. Elizabeth that he had tried to protect from his life for so long had just saved him. "Ok… Um, we need to get out of here before they send some backup. I'll call my men to take care of these guys. Help me to your car."

"Alright." Elizabeth stood up from her position next to the intruder then placed one of Jason's bulky arms over her shoulder. She used all the strength in her petite body to help him to the door.

"We'll hide in another safe house a few miles away from here. Only a few trusted men know about that place. We'll stay there until I figure out who's after me."

As they reached the car, Elizabeth looked up to the man who was leaning on her. "I'm part of this too now, it's not just your world anymore. I've been part of all this since I rescued you that day in the snow. You need me Jason and I am not giving you a choice this time. I'm here to stay."

**To be continued…**


	2. Running Scared

_A/N: Hopefully you are enjoying this short story and a feisty Elizabeth! I love when she goes after what she wants and would love to see more of this side of her on the show… So here is the second installment._

**Part II**

**Running Scared**

When Elizabeth had gotten ready for bed that night, she couldn't have possibly imagined being in the situation she was in at the moment. She was next to Jason, which had become a rarity; he had been shot, again, and they were running away from what was supposed to be a 'safe house' because the danger that Jason had so many times warned Elizabeth before had literally knocked on their door. But the thing she had not expected was that she would one day have to apply the shooting skills Jason had taught her on something other than a motionless hay stack. But she had done it, without even blinking, she had shot a man and he was probably dying at that very moment. She had shot a man but it was because he was about to kill the one she loved. Elizabeth wasn't sure if she would get over the fact someday.

"Are you ok?"

"Jason you asked me that question at least three times since we started driving." The couple had rushed into Elizabeth's the car and left the scene of the last attempt on their lives before allowing whoever was after Jason to finish the job.

"It's because I'm worried. You almost froze on me after you pulled that trigger."

"I know, and it was a frightening experience but I'm ok now. We just need to get to this other safe house and everything will be fine." She paused concentrating on the dark road then went on talking. "But how did they find you there? At our safe house?"

"I don't know; they must have had some kind of inside information because there is no way I was followed there."

"But why would one of your men do that to you? From what I understand you are respected and well liked."

"Well, when you offer the right price some people would do anything."

The pair was slowly getting away from the greater Port Charles while Elizabeth tried her best to respect street limitations, to Jason's dismay, as he would have been pushing hard on the gas if he was the one on the driver seat. Elizabeth kept a close eye on the road, as the last thing they needed was to get into an accident or pulled over by Port Charles finest.

"How's your leg?"

"Holding up great. But I got fixed up by the best nurse I know so no surprise there."

"Oh… well thank you for the compliment." Elizabeth noticed Jason was now assiduously observing something out the window. "What's wrong, what's going on?" She asked him in a light state of panic.

"I'm not sure, just keep driving."

Elizabeth peeked at the close behind car in her rear mirror. "Jason, I'm starting to be nervous, this car has been behind us for a little while now. Don't tell me they are following us."

"That's what I'm not sure off, it could be. Drive faster; we'll see if they try to keep up with us."

Elizabeth did as she was asked and saw her small car reach speeds that it very hardly ever attained. "Jason, they are still right behind us!"

"Damn it! Ok, this is what I want you to do. We're going to try to lose them."

"Wait, there is no way I can do that! I'm not that good of a driver Jason. I don't think I will be able to…" She uttered hesitantly.

"Listen to me Elizabeth. I've seen you in action; you can do anything when you put your mind into it, ok? So just do as I tell you."

She nodded as the pressure on her was maintained by the black sedan getting closer to her silver Jetta every second.

Jason took a second to memorize the black car's license plate number then went on talking. "Alright, do you remember the way to the cliff road?"

"Of course I do! But that road is extremely dangerous Jason; it's dark and I am driving very fast, what if I miss a turn?"

"You won't… but they will."

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" She declared.

"Then just do as I tell you and you'll see everything will be fine."

She trusted Jason, more than anyone else. If she was to leave her life in someone's hands it would be his, because she knew that somehow he would always pull through for her. So she did as she was instructed and made a swift right turn onto the cliff road. A way that they had taken so many times back in the days for exciting motorcycle rides. Elizabeth had enjoyed that kind of thrill tremendously but the kind that she was involved in at the moment took excitement to a whole other level.

"Alright, you remember the next big turn coming up, the one where you would always scream in my ears because you were so scared."

"Hey! I wasn't scared, just excited… not the same thing!" She retorted eyes nervously fixed one the narrow meandering road.

"Ok, that's the one. When we get closer to it I want you to accelerate as fast as you can then at the last minute you'll steer the wheel."

"Are you crazy? I'm gonna get us killed!"

"No you won't, you can do this! And right now we don't have much choice."

Elizabeth could see the other car's headlight grow closer in her side mirrors. It could have been their only chance to escape the situation. She quickly glanced at Jason seeking reassurance then pushed hard on the accelerator. The unidentified black sedan imitated the brunette's car and sped up to stay close on her tail.

"Now!" Jason yelled, helping Elizabeth take the deadly turn and keep control of the vehicle. A load of smoke caused by the tires screeching on the concrete and the dirt on the side of the road made it impossible for the young woman to see anything for a few seconds. As her vision span was cleared, she was finally able to realize that their plan had worked and that they were still alive.

"You did it!"

"Oh my god!" Were the only word that Elizabeth could produce. "Oh my god! We're alive! I did it!" She then exclaimed while driving away from the scene.

*********

After a couple more miles of driving, they arrived at the safe house in question. This secret location was larger than the one they had briefly used as a meeting place but definitely didn't feel like a home. Seeing the cold environment made Elizabeth appreciate Jason's efforts to turn what was supposed to be a mob hideout spot into a welcoming place for them to spend some time together, even though he had cut their secretive meetings short.

"Let me take a look at your leg Jason."

"No, I'm fine. I just have a few calls to make to figure out who is behind this mess."

Jason had lost his cell phone during the shootout that had injured him and was grateful for the untraceable phones that he had asked Spinelli to install in each of his safe houses. He held out the gun Elizabeth had used to save him and asked her to carry it.

"You should keep it just in case. The people who are after me seem to really want me dead. We never know."

She grabbed the gun, and as she held it between her hands once again, the scene of her shooting the intruder flashed quickly in her mind. The simple idea of having to go through this ordeal again disturbed Elizabeth enormously. But she needed to be strong; she had begged Jason to let her enter his life and now was the time to prove him that she could deal with the danger.

The blond man observed her uneasy reaction to the gun being placed back in her hand. "You don't have to do this Elizabeth, I'll understand if you want to…"

"Don't you dare try to push me away Jason!" She berated him. "I possibly killed a man or more tonight, I have a right to be shaken up! I did what I needed to do and I am not going anywhere..."

She took the gun determinedly and walked to the window, watching out for any forthcoming threat then settled on the couch, firearm resting on her lap. Jason kept his eyes on her for a minute then as he saw that she seemed all right, moved to the kitchen to complete his calls.

"Max?"

"_Jason! What's going on?"_

"Listen to me; someone tried to kill me tonight. You need to figure out who is behind this."

"_Are you ok?"_

"Not too badly hurt, I'll be fine."

"_Where are you? Do you need any back up? I could send some of the men to get you."_

"No, I am in a safe place, but what I need from you is to take care of a clean up for me. At the house I asked you to keep off the books a few months back. You can take Cody with you, he'll be discreet."

"_Alright, and do you want me to talk to Mr. C about what's going on. The boss has been asking if any of the guards heard from you and instructed us to tell him if you contact any of them."_

"No, I want a minimum of people to know I'm still alive, and you know things haven't been great with Sonny recently."

"_I understand. I'll take care of what you asked for."_

"Thank you." Jason hung up, just to compose another number.

"_Stone Cold! It is my humble pleasure to receive a most coveted call from you!"_

"Spinelli, I don't have time for this, what I want is for you to look something up for me."

"_Well, you know the Jackal is the ruler of cyberspace, nothing can get past the grasshopper's exceptional dexterity with…"_

"Listen to me, someone tried to kill me tonight. Three times!"

"_Wow, it is very unfortunate that you had to fight off another horde of vicious evil doers but I see Stone Cold has lived up to his most illustrious name. This will definitely inspire the Jackal significantly for Saga of Stone Cold Two…"_

"Spinelli, focus here! I want you to find who the license plate 3XBD927 is registered to."

"_And I will get on it right away. But Stone Cold?"_

"What?"

"_Shouldn't the Jackal at least let Mr. Sir know that his most valuable asset has sustained a more violent attempt at his life and is still among the living creatures of this planet?"_

"Sonny doesn't even know that someone tried to kill me so he doesn't need to hear anything about me right now. And you know he's been acting recklessly so do not say a word to him or anyone else about what I told you until we figure out who's behind this."

"_The assassin of the internet has heard you loud and clear and is as we speak coming up with the person behind this failed hit."_ Spinelli tapped a few more keys on his laptop then came up with a name. _"Lorenzo Alcazar!"_

"What?" Jason yelled in the phone.

"_Second class thug, who couldn't gain any territory in the Corinthos-Morgan dominated city of Port Charles and who reconverted to the contract killing business."_

"Spinelli, I know who he is! But what worries me is that a coward went to him and is trying to keep his hands clean. Find out who's behind all this. I will call you back in a few minutes."

"_And the Jackal will do everything in his power to figure out who has contracted the dark deliverer of death to make his Master depart to the underworld."_

"Thank you."

Jason ended the conversation and walked out of the kitchen to join Elizabeth for who he was worried given the turn of events that evening. The brunette had disappeared from the spot on the couch were his eyes had left her. Jason's blood started to boil inside his body as he couldn't see her anywhere in the spacious living room. He rushed as fast as his leg would allow him to a small guest room on the bottom floor of the two story house while calling her name but she wasn't there. Jason grew more fearful as he struggled to walk up the stairs and checked out every room one by one. She wasn't anywhere.

Jason Morgan didn't panic but what he felt at this instant definitely came close to that as he cursed himself for leaving Elizabeth alone or for calling her and letting her tag along in the first place. He had put her life in danger and if anything happened to her, he didn't think he could live with it. This was exactly why he didn't want the young woman anywhere close to him. She shouldn't have had to be part of anything they had been through that night. The trauma of shooting someone and having to run for your life weren't things she should be exposed to. She was a nurse, from a good family who deserved to be with a nice doctor and to live a regular and stable life. Not dodging bullets with a criminal like him. The whole thing was a terrible idea and when he found her, he would make sure to let her know that she should leave and never see him again.

Jason kept calling Elizabeth's name worriedly as he entered the large master bedroom. It is then that he heard a sound of water pouring down coming from the bathroom and an overwhelming sense of relief took over him. She was still in the house, safe and simply taking a shower. Jason limped towards the bathroom and lightly knocked on the door, not wanting to startle her. Elizabeth granted him permission to come in which he did and then rested his back on the closed door behind him.

"Did you figure out who's after you?"

"Not completely; I only know who has been paid to kill me."

"Well, that's a start." The woman said before shutting the water closed. Jason grabbed a towel from the shower door and handed it to her. Elizabeth walked out of the shower wrapped in the white towel. Her cascading wet hair was dripping around her face while some color was back on her cheeks.

"I needed to get the blood off of me."

Jason simply nodded and followed the young woman back to the bedroom.

"So what are we going to do now?" she asked him as she sat on the edge of the bed, arms and legs crossed.

"Not we, Elizabeth. I know you don't want me to tell you what to do. I know you are an adult and can make your own choices but there is just too much at stake here." The brunette parted her lips in an effort to contest but was promptly shut down by Jason. "No, let me finish. I've heard you, I understand that you are hurt by the situation but I am in the mob and the danger is something that will always follow me wherever I go. This means that days like today could very well become your daily life if you were to stay with me."

"Ok now you are completely exaggerating this! You've already tried scaring me into leaving you but it is not going to happen!" Elizabeth hastily jumped back on her feet. "Can't you see that if I am here next to you after everything that we've been through is because I love you so much? More than the danger scares me, more than I am traumatized about firing a gun at a man or that I hate seeing you hurt and I definitely love you more than anything I have back in my cozy little life!"

Burning tears slowly graced her eyes as she passionately uttered these words. "Why Jason? Why does it always have to be like this! Sometimes I wonder if you even love me the way I love you because I cannot understand why you just don't want to be with me as much as I want to be with you."

"No, you know that's not true. I love you so much Elizabeth, I just couldn't take it if something happened to you. I'm afraid I would go crazy if you were to end up a victim of my world."

"Why do I have the feeling we've already had this discussion? Nobody lives forever Jason, mob or no mob! A random accident could simply end my or your life at any time without warning! And then what? We'll be left with short bittersweet memories of a few fun times together and the rest will just be angst and tears? We'll be left with the what-ifs and the lost times and that will be our story and you know what; I want more than that!"

Elizabeth put so much of herself and so much emotion in her words that her whole body was now shivering. Jason extended a comforting hand towards her and delicately caressed her neck with his burning fingers. He hated seeing her like this and maybe Elizabeth was right, after all whether she was with him or not there was no way he could protect her from all the dangers of this world. And as he was able to attest of that night, life could be cut short at any moment but was it worth living without the people you loved close to you? For Elizabeth the answer was simple; all she wanted was to be with Jason. She accepted him with all the baggage of his life. She was able to love him unconditionally, simply for who he was and it was about time he believed in her and trusted himself to be able to protect her as well as he could.

That night Elizabeth had witnessed the violence of his lifestyle first hand and had even been part of it. And what surprised Jason enormously was how well she had handled herself. The enforcer knew she could keep a cold head in chaotic situations but he had never imagined her being that tough and capable to fight off a threat as well as she had. He wanted to shield her from his life but she was strong enough to protect herself.

"I'm so sorry Elizabeth. There is nothing that I wish for more than to be with you."

"Then just let it happen."

Jason nodded firmly then trailed his callous hands over her soft and delicate alabaster skin. The young man took one step forward and held Elizabeth close to him, breathing in her delicious natural scent. He layered a light kiss on the side of her neck then delicately nibbled the bottom of her earlobe. The brunette bit her lower lip in pleasure as an ardent desire flourished inside her. Jason carefully untied the fluffy towel that was covering her petite frame and let the damp piece fall to the ground, unraveling her known feminine curves to his uttering blue eyes. The blond took a second to admire the sight offered to him.

"Jason." Elizabeth breathed out trying to gain his attention.

Not wanting to stay passive, the woman slowly danced her skillful hands up and down his powerful back then gripped the hem of his black t-shirt on each side before helping him out of the piece of clothing. She lovingly roamed her fingers on his warm chest, tracing his sculpted muscles. Leaning towards him, she breathed against his ear as if delivering a kiss and said. "I need you so much."

Her eager fingers reached down and unbuckled his pair of jeans and her doe eyes fell on Jason's powerful stare and she uttered these words. "There is no place I'd rather be than here with you." As she felt his body fall down on hers.

*********

The pair was back on the bottom floor of the safe house. They had spend an exhilarating and comforting time in each other's arms but were quickly back to reality and to the threat that was looming above their heads. Jason had implored Elizabeth to stay in bed and get some rest but she had assured him that she was ok and couldn't sleep in these conditions anyway. She had cleaned up Jason's wound and replaced his bandages before the young man went back to business and called Spinelli to find out if his research had paid off.

"Spinelli, it's me. Anything on who contracted Alcazar."

"_Yes, the puzzle has been solved and you are not going to believe this, the same way I, the Jackal has been completely bewildered when he uncovered that utterly interesting but perplexing piece of information!"_

"What did you find?" Jason asked impatiently.

"_At first the grasshopper looked into all things Alcazar and was surprised to find out that the deliverer of death is arranging for his first shipment to hit Port Charles!"_

"What? That scum doesn't have the resources or the territory to land a shipment here. Sonny and I own most of the waterfront. There is no way he can…"

"_Well, that was before, now it seems he has an in somewhere because that's what he's been up to. But that's not it, the best of all, I looked into the evil doer's bank accounts and a very hefty transaction has been posted yesterday."_

"Were you able to figure out where it was from?"

"_Of course! And that's were it becomes most bizarre. When the Jackal traced the wire transfer from the deliverer of death's Argentinean account, it was linked to another account in Puerto Rico that belongs to…"_

"Sonny!" Jason exclaimed.

**To be continued…**


	3. Face Off

_A/N: I don't have much to say, this little story is coming to an end but I wanted to thank everyone for reading and reviewing! I have to say this ending was a little challenging to write because I had no idea where this story would go and who was after Jason when I first started writing, it all kind a came to me as I went along so hopefully it makes sense to you. Enjoy!_

_These characters belong to whoever they belong to… and it ain't me…_

**Part III**

**Face Off**

"_The Jackal traced the wire transfer from the deliverer of death's Argentinean account; it was linked to another account in Puerto Rico that belongs to…"_

"Sonny!" Jason exclaimed.

"_That is what it seems like Stone Cold, but there is no way the Godfather is behind this utterly treacherous act; there must be a perfectly rational explanation..."_

"Damn it! How come I didn't figure it out earlier? He wants me dead!" Jason said paying no mind to the young man's babble.

"_The Jackal would advise Stone Cold to first make sure that these allegations are true before he does anything he would regret. Mr. Sir has been like a father to my Master and therefore I…"_

"Spinelli, what kind of father tries to have his son killed? Thanks for your help. Now I have to figure out a way out of this mess… and stay alive!"

Jason hung up the phone as confused as ever. His relationship with Sonny had been tested these past few months as they very rarely saw eye to eye anymore but he could never have imagined that the older man, to whom he owed most of his knowledge about the business, would one day turn on him that way. Jason had given Sonny his entire life and at the first sign of a rift, he had simply tried to get rid of him. Jason needed to deal with his partner, but first he had to get Elizabeth out of this place before Sonny sent his hired killing machine to finish the job.

"We need to get out of here! Now!" Jason declared as he reentered the living room.

Elizabeth hastily stood up from the couch to face an agitated Jason. "What? What's going on? Did they find us?"

"Not yet, but they'll be here any minute."

"Wait, but you said only a few trusted men know this place? How come?"

"It was Sonny."

"Sonny? What Sonny?"

"He's the one who had me ambushed and sent the men to the other safe house. He doesn't know where I am but if he is that determined to see me dead then he'll just go through all our safe houses and will end up finding us here."

"What are you talking about? Where are we gonna go?"

"I'll explain everything in the car. Right now we have to go."

The couple rushed out of the house and entered the brunette's small car, taking the road with no destination in mind.

"So are you going to tell me now what this is about? Why would Sonny try to kill you? This is ridiculous."

"Not really, considering what's been happening these last few weeks."

Elizabeth's eyes were focused on the road ahead. The brunette checked for cars following them from time to time but was ready to listen to Jason explain how his brotherly relationship with Sonny had reached a point of no return.

"A few months back, Sonny started getting into one of his dark periods and acting recklessly. He's stopped taking his meds; he's been drinking, just out of control. And when he becomes like this he doesn't think straight anymore and lets his emotion cloud his judgment. And this has put all our men and the organization at risk. Every time I would have to distance myself from you was because Sonny had carelessly launched an unnecessary war with one of our enemies. First it was the Zaccharas then the Russian mob."

"How do you know they are not the ones after you?"

"Because I already took care of them. They won't be back in Port Charles any time soon. I knew this threat was personal; the person who tried to kill me didn't go after the organization but only me!"

"Ok but I still can't see Sonny doing this to you. You have so many enemies, it could be someone from your past, coming back for revenge."

"Spinelli found a link between the contracted killers that are after me and Sonny. I don't need more proof than this. When I called Max earlier, one of the first things he said was that Sonny had asked all the men to report to him if they heard from me. Yeah it could be out of concern, problem is I saw him last night and he should have no way of suspecting that someone was after me."

"Wow! I just can't wrap my mind around him doing that to you."

"Trust me; Sonny is capable of anything right now. We didn't part in good ways last time. The men have been coming to me about how unstable he has been and have repeatedly asked me to consider taking over."

"Oh… and would you?" Elizabeth asked worried about the implications of Jason taking over the business for their relationship.

"Ideally not, I like my job as his right hand man but I warned him that I would, if he doesn't get his act together because that's what is in everyone's best interest."

"I bet that didn't go well."

"No, and I'm sure that's how he wants to deal with this issue. Sonny likes the power too much and a simple threat to it and he lost it completely and went on the offense."

"So what are you going to do? Because he obviously wants to, and _will_ kill you if he gets a chance but would you be able to kill him?"

Jason ran both hands across his face as he was hit with the difficult question. "I don't know. But I hope I don't have to."

"So what's the next step? We've been driving aimlessly for a little while now. Where do we go?"

"The problem is Sonny knows me too well. He'll find me in all the places where I could go right now. I bet he's even sent men to your old studio and your apartment!"

"See I told you I was better off close to you!"

Jason produced a half grin. She had a point because no one knew what the men Sonny had sent could have done to her, and they definitely would have used her to get to him and Jason didn't even want to think about that. The young men put his mind to work for a few minutes while Elizabeth patiently waited for a direction to follow.

"I have to treat Sonny like I would any other threat. I'm not going to wait for him to hunt me down and eliminate me. I have to strike first. And the fact that he has no idea where I am will play in my advantage."

"I see, but how are you going to pull that off? He won't let you get close to him, and you're injured."

"I just need to find a way to face him alone."

Elizabeth hesitated then finally spoke again. "I have an idea. Sonny probably knows that you're hurt and have been running for your life and maybe he even suspects that I am with you. I could call him for help; tell him that you need him like we would have done in any other circumstance. The only problem is would he come alone?"

"That's a great plan, and he might if you stress that I am in very bad shape; knowing him and the way he is thinking right now, he'll want to have the pleasure to finish the job himself."

"God Jason! How are we going to know for sure?"

"We won't."

*********

Jason had decided to go for her idea and identified the abandoned boxcar as the perfect location to implement it. Elizabeth drove up to the place next to which she had found Jason bleeding in the snow years ago. They were ready to put their plan in motion. And so far it had worked perfectly. The young nurse had called Sonny from her cell phone and told him that she had found Jason fighting for his life because unidentified men had tried to kill him. She insisted on the fact that he got shot very badly and that she couldn't take care of him by herself and needed some help because Jason refused to go to the hospital. She also specified that he should come alone, in order not to draw too much attention for the people that were looking for him.

A few minutes later, the rat was approaching the trap and Elizabeth who heard a car pulling over not too far away from the abandoned boxcar ran to get Sonny and lead him to Jason. A part of her was still hoping Jason was wrong and that Sonny didn't have anything to do with the ordered hit and this gave her the strength to face him without spitting in his face.

"Thank you for coming so fast. He's in there!" She pointed towards the boxcar then walked slowly behind the dangerous man who could in a simple gesture claim her boyfriend's life. She was extremely relieved that he had at least abided to her demands and came alone.

Sonny entered the place and asked Elizabeth to wait outside as he had a few important words to exchange with Jason. The young man who was doubled up on the floor faking pain signaled her that it was all right and that she could let the two men talk. She left, hoping Sonny wouldn't decide to do something else than talk. But Elizabeth decided to keep a close ear just in case. Back against the boxcar wall, next to the door, she followed the exchange attentively.

"So that's how you've been planning to trick me out of my own business? After all these years, is that how you were going to repay me? I made you Jason! Everything you are today you owe it to me!" The man burst out furiously.

"Sonny we've talked about this already. It's not what I want; but you've been out of control, starting wars with all of our enemies when nothing warranted it. And now opening up our piers to Alcazar?"

"I see you know about that. What, the men report to you now? I am still the boss!" the tanned man yelled out attempting to assert his dominant position. "It is my organization and I will do whatever I want with it."

"You are forgetting that you have tons of men working under you who are unhappy Sonny and there is no way you will lead a successful organization if your men don't trust you and have no respect for you. You taught me that yourself!"

"Forget my men, they trust me. Who I don't trust anymore is you! You're just a sold out son of a bitch!"

"Because I tell you the truth and want to save the organization?"

"Because I know you've been talking to the feds!"

Elizabeth's eyes opened wide at what she was hearing. Was Jason working against Sonny all this time?

"That's where you are wrong Sonny. They approached me and I told them to go to hell! I can't believe you'd think I sold you out!"

"And you're not even man enough to admit it! Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"I am not working with them Sonny!"

The tanned man took out his silver gun from its case and pointed it straight at Jason. "Do you know what happens to snitches like you?"

"Sonny, don't do this! Put the gun down."

As she heard the word gun, Elizabeth's whole body tensed. Her fear was realized, Sonny had a gun pointed at Jason and she was afraid Jason wouldn't have it in him to protect himself against the man who had been like a surrogate father to him for so long.

"Sonny don't do this!" Jason pleaded, sitting on the floor, one hand cupping his gun under his leather jacket. He was trying to give the older man a chance, the last thing the enforcer wanted was being forced to shoot his boss.

Elizabeth saw an old bucket lying on the floor next to the boxcar and kicked it away provoking a loud nose that distracted Sonny long enough for Jason to draw his firearm out. The two men were now facing each other, both pointing their guns at the other one's head.

"Oh, I see you've become a pretty good actor. Just like you've faked being on my side for all these years when in fact all you wanted was my empire."

"You're delusional Sonny! Drop your gun, its over." Jason called out ignoring the man's baiting.

"Not as long as I have a gun pointed to your head."

"Now it's over. Drop your gun Sonny." A soft voice called out behind him. As the man tried to turn around to face Elizabeth, she poked his back with the tunnel of the firearm she held firmly in both hands.

"Don't move!" She yelled out with authority "Now drop your weapon on the floor, slowly, and show us you hands."

Sonny chuckled devilishly, ignoring her preposterous orders. "Oh, so you count of Elizabeth for you protection now. This image is just too funny for words."

The brunette didn't appreciate his amusement of the situation, so dug the gun deeper in between his shoulder blades. "Do not underestimate me Sonny; I will do whatever I have to do to protect Jason, even if it means shooting you."

The tanned man's chuckle turned into a full blown laugh. "That thing isn't a toy Elizabeth, and I know you won't shoot me so why don't you just let us settle our scores."

She needed to show credibility; she knew how to fire a gun and she would show him. Elizabeth replied by effectively shooting an imaginary target on the boxcar's wall. The two men were astonished by her enormous confidence and control of the situation. She was running the show.

"Sonny, one last time. Put the gun down."

The mob boss hesitated, and then it was with a wicked defeated grin that he slowly kneeled and delicately placed his gun on the floor in front of Jason. "Ok, ok… there."

The enforcer picked up the silver piece then restrained both of Sonny's hands with a piece of rope that was lying on the floor and forced him to sit in a corner of the boxcar.

"You of all people? Elizabeth?" He fixed his dark eyes on her. "I think you should know what your precious Jason has been to. He's been working behind my back and was about to sell me out! Jason betrayed me!"

"Shut up Sonny!" Jason threw at him. "You're the one who tried to kill me after years of giving my life to you."

"What was I supposed to do? Let you give me up to the feds? I had to protect myself, I only did this because I knew you were going to rat me out!"

"Who told you that?" Jason interrogated the older man with exasperation.

"A man named Rayner came gloating to me about how I was done for because you accepted to tell them everything you know! Then you showed up telling me you were going to takeover _my_ business!"

Elizabeth pushed Jason aside and asked him in a quiet voice. "What really happened?"

"They offered me a deal where they would leave me alone if I gave them Sonny but I told them I wouldn't work with them."

"Ok, so what are you going to do now?"

Jason ran a hand over his face, overwhelmed by what was going on. "I don't know!"

"Are you going to… kill him?" She asked hesitantly. Elizabeth wasn't blind to who Jason was and to how he dealt with threats of this nature.

"That's all he deserves! But I know he was clearly manipulated by Rayner to pit us one against the other, so we either would hate each other enough to actually set the other up or kill one another."

"Well, he almost succeeded because Sonny really seems to believe you betrayed him."

"Yeah! And he almost had us killed tonight because of it! Because of his foolishness! He would have never fallen for that if he was thinking straight."

Jason turned to face the restrained older man with a lethal glare. He walked decisively towards him and threw a violent punch in his face that caused Sonny to fall to the side and his face to hit the cold ground.

"What the hell!" The tanned man exclaimed with a bleeding lip then difficultly sat back up. "That's just like you Jason! Attacking people when they're already down, stabbing them in the back!"

Jason violently gripped Sonny by the shirt. "That was for not trusting me; for the last time I didn't talk to the FBI and had absolutely no intention to. They made you believe I did and you fell straight in their trap! Now you better cancel that hit right now and tell Alcazar he can forget about his shipment."

Jason harshly let go of the older man then went on talking. "You need some serious help Sonny and I will make sure you get back on your meds and go to your sessions. I'll be running the organization from now on!"

*********

Jason had decided to let Sonny live. The man had tried to have him killed but he was the only one who had believed in him all these years ago and helped him become the man he was; he owed him his life so now they were even. Rayner had almost managed to create an irreversible rift between the two by manipulating Sonny into reacting this way. Jason's hands where tied when it came to the FBI agent but he definitely hadn't said his last word.

"Is it all over?" Elizabeth asked as Jason finally joined her next to her car.

"Almost, Cody's taking care of Sonny; I asked him to keep an eye on him until new orders. I still have to worry about Alcazar who might not be too happy about not getting access to our piers anymore but he shouldn't be a problem. Rayner on the other hand, this bastard isn't going to let it go that easily but he doesn't have anything on Sonny or me. I'll have Diane dig up anything she can on him, I'm sure he has skeletons in his closet somewhere."

Elizabeth let out a heavy sight of relief mixed up with tiredness. "Ok… well can we go home now? I'm exhausted and I just have enough of this place already."

"It depends..." Jason said puzzling the petite woman in front of him. She didn't have it in her to argue with Jason again about staying away. The young man continued. "… of what you mean by home. Because now that you've become my partner in crime, I believe the penthouse is the safest place for us."

Elizabeth jumped in Jason's arms and hooked her limbs around his neck, forgetting his injured leg. She made the blond lean against her small car in pain.

"Let's go home!" She excitedly screamed out as she graced Jason of a light kiss on the lips.

**~ The End ~**


End file.
